Chili’s Says Zdravstvujtye To Russia

Hello, Russia. There’s nothing like a chilly day in February for the warm debut of that country’s first Chili’s Grill & Bar. The new Chili’s outlet, opened last month in Moscow’s city center, Novy Arbat, is the first of 25 restaurants slated for development in the Russian Federation by June 2017.  It was developed by Russian franchisee Interdining Group, a privately held company formed to develop and operate Chili’s Grill & Bar.

Last year, Chili’s parent Brinker Int’l. announced that Russia is one of four countries it is targeting for development. “Casual dining overseas is akin to the growth we saw 15 to 20 years ago here in the United States," said Carin Stutz, president-global business development for Dallas-based Brinker Int’l. "Consumers in emerging countries like Brazil, Russia, India and China are highly focused on iconic brands and they buy accordingly,” added Stutz.

Chili’s has four restaurants in India and plans to open in Brazil later in the year. Brinker currently owns, operates and franchises more than 220 restaurants outside the U.S., with Chili’s and Maggiano’s Little Italy locations in 30 additional countries and two territories.